Some of the most important properties of materials in high-technology applications are strongly influenced or even controlled by the presence of solid interfaces. For example, interfaces are the critical element in fiber-reinforced structural ceramics with mechanical properties not even imagined a decade or two ago. The entire electronics industry is based on the fascinating electrical properties of semiconductor interfaces, with ceramic-semiconductor, metal-semiconductor and metal-ceramic interfaces playing critical roles as well. Other examples are surface modification techniques, designed to enhance the corrosion resistance of materials in hostile environments or tailored for tribological or catalytic applications. In contrast to their enormous technological importance, our basic understanding of even the simplest interfaces, such as free surfaces and grain boundaries, is rudimentary at best. It is increasingly recognized, however, that truly significant technological advances can be achieved by a better understanding and control of interfacial processes.

To draw attention to the tremendous opportunites that lie ahead in this lively area of materials research, some recent promising developments in the atomic-level understanding of solid interfaces are highlighted in this issue and in the October issue of the MRS BULLETIN. The theme common to ail the articles in the September and October issues lies in the atomic-level insights that have been gained. While this issue of the BULLETIN focuses on structure, chemistry and some electronic properties of crystalline interfaces, the October issue will be devoted to their mechanical and high-temperature behavior.